2019-2020 Voucher Legislation

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced this bill to create a federal tuition tax credit program. It would allow for a dollar-for-dollar credit on donations made by individuals (up to $4,500) and corporations (up to $100,000). This bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Finance.

Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) introduced the “Creating Hope and Opportunity for Individuals and Communities through Education Act” (CHOICE Act) to create a private school voucher program for students with disabilities and students from military families, and expand the DC voucher program. The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Introduced by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), this bill would create a Title I portability scheme, allowing Title I dollars to "follow the child" to public, charter, or private schools. This bill has been referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Prior Voucher Legislation

This bill was introduced in the House by Representative Jim Banks (R-IN) and in the Senate by Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) and Senator Tim Scott (R-SC). The bill would use the federal Impact Aid program to fund a new Education Savings Account (ESA) program for military-connected students.

Introduced by Representative Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), this bill would create a tuition tax credit program by providing a tax credit to individuals and corporations that give money to scholarship granting organizations to that provide vouchers to K-12 students.

Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN) introduced the “Creating Hope and Opportunity for Individuals and Communities through Education Act” (CHOICE Act) in the Senate and House. This bill would allow funds from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to be used for private school vouchers, give vouchers to students from military families, and expand the DC voucher program to include students already attending private schools. The bill has been referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions in the Senate. In the House, it has been referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and the Armed Services Committee.

Introduced by Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) in the Senate and Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN) in the House, this bill would create a tuition tax credit program. It would allow for a dollar-for-dollar credit on donations made by individuals (up to $4,500) and corporations (up to $100,000). This bill has been referred to the Committee on Finance in the Senate and to the Committee on Education and the Workforce and Committee on Ways and Means in the House.

Introduced by Rep. Luke Messer (R-IN), this bill would establish Title I portability, allowing federal funds for low-income students to "follow the child" to another school and would also allow contributions to 529 accounts to be used toward pre-K, elementary, and secondary school expenses including tuition at private schools and home school expenses. This bill has been referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Introduced by Rep. Steve King (R-IA), this bill would repeal the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and allot block grants to states to use to fund vouchers for students to attend private schools and be homeschooled. This bill has been referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Introduced by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), this bill would create a Title I portability scheme, allowing Title I dollars to "follow the child" to public, charter, or private schools. This bill has been referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) introduced the Education Freedoms Account Act in 2016. The bill, which did not move, would have forced the District of Columbia to direct its local funds away from its public schools to pay for students to attend private schools.

Every Student Succeeds Act

Adopted in 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act reauthorized the 50-year-old Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the national education law that governs federally funded programs for K-12 education. NCPE succeeded in defeating several attempts in both the House and the Senate to add vouchers and Title I portability measures to the bill.